


Sunrise (because Twilight is lame)

by KatiesGhost



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blood Drinking, Dopheld definitely does not ship it, Historical References, Humor, Idiots in Love, M/M, Shapeshifting, Vampires, halloween fic, vampire hux
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-02 17:36:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16309652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatiesGhost/pseuds/KatiesGhost
Summary: When Ben, an aspiring photographer and writer for a supernatural online blog, finds out that there might be a vampire in the town he decides to interview him. Who would have guessed that instead of getting eaten alive he would fall in love?Plot twist: There's only one bed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Endless thanks to Ellstra for betaing, you rock! <3

Ben looked at the house in front of him and let out a deep breath. He was standing on the opposite side of the road from an old Victorian house that looked far too big house only one person. The roof was made of dark brown tiles, the plastering a soft beige colour. He expected something more sinister looking and not a two-storey house with a little staircase and a welcoming porch with blooming rose bushes. He checked his mobile phone; it was past seven in the evening and the sun was just setting. He was a few minutes late but the object of his interest wasn’t going anywhere, so why bother. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if somebody hadn’t made a fool of him.

The truth was that Ben Solo was a university student studying journalism and photography and was currently writing for an online blog called ‘Mysterious Salmon’. He published his articles under the pseudonym Kylo Ren so nobody in his family or school could track him. They mostly wrote about urban legends and such, and so when Ben heard someone talking about a man who was supposed to be a vampire, he just had to go and investigate it.

 

“Okay, Ben, let’s do this,” Ben whispered to himself as he crossed the street and jogged up the stairs. He raised his hand and knocked on the dark wooden door.

When Ben tried to contact this man for the first time, he really didn’t expect him to answer. There were no e-mail addresses, no telephone numbers, only his address and some people talking around the town of Arkanis. In the end, he decided to send him a letter; asking him if he could interview him, maybe spend some time with him during the day (or rather the night), take some photos. A week later there was an envelope in his mail. It had a red wax seal and the letter inside was written by an elegant hand with black ink.

 

_Dearest Mr Solo,_

_I gladly accept your offer, for I am bored and could use some company. I hope that your desire to visit me and your intentions are not false and that you are not only toying with me._

_I will be expecting you next Thursday, at 7 o’clock. Sharp._

 

_Armitage Hux_

 

Ben didn’t have to wait long before the door opened. There was nobody behind it, which creeped Ben out a little. Surely, the house wasn’t enchanted. That was impossible. Thoughts like this would probably get him fired from the blog because, as his boss was often saying (or rather writing in their discord chat): Everything is possible; nothing is real. Ben was sure that he stole that motto somewhere.

“Hello?” he called out and ducked his head inside. The room, possibly an entry hall, was dark and he couldn’t see much of it.

“Please come in and close the door,” came a velvety voice. Ben shivered. If the man was as handsome as his voice, Ben was sure he would have trouble keeping his mind working properly.

 

And so Ben entered the house as instructed, his mind reeling a million thoughts per minute because what if this...this person would jump on him and kill him. He certainly could. Ben didn’t have any reason to trust him. And yet, here he was. In the vampire’s den. He closed the door behind him, nearly wetting his jeans when the chandelier above his head started shining and he saw that there was a man standing right behind it. “Shit, you scared me.”

This probably wasn’t the best first impression he could make. It definitely wasn’t the best first impression he could make. Smooth, Ben, very smooth.

“I am sorry, I certainly didn’t want to,” the man smiled at him and Ben gulped. Armitage Hux was probably the same height as Ben, albeit much thinner than the aspiring photographer; he had red flaming hair neatly combed back from his face and falling in gentle curls around his ears. The most striking part about him, however, were his eyes. They shined like two emerald stones set in a face carved from marble.

 _Well shit_ , Ben thought and scratched his head because he suddenly didn’t know what to do with himself.

“I presume you are Benjamin.” Hux took a step closer, examining him with his intense glare, rooting him to the spot. Ben had a sudden feeling that maybe he shouldn’t have come here, maybe this was a trap, maybe the vampire only wanted to lure him in and eat him and- “You’re afraid,” Hux said with something akin to sadness. “I won’t hurt you. You’re my guest. Ah good heavens, where are my manners? I’m Armitage Hux, first of his name and probably the last, if we’re being honest,” he giggled (giggled?) and offered Ben his hand.

Ben looked at the creamy complexion and then back to its owner. “I’m Ben, Ben Solo,” he stuttered as he took Hux’s hand and shook it. “I’m very happy to meet you. I’m...I’m sorry. I’m just a little bit nervous, it’s not every day that you meet a vampire and this is all just so… phew.” Ben made a motion with his hands and when the vampire didn’t move he rubbed his face. “I’m also very bad with first impressions.”

“Yes, I noticed,” Hux smiled again and motioned with his hand towards the open door, which led from the entrance hall. “We shall discuss the details first, come.” And with that, he left Ben standing on his Persian carpet.

Ben stared after him for a moment, then he shook his head with a huff and followed him.

 

“You may sit.” Hux pointed towards an antique looking wing chair.

Ben nodded but didn’t move from the door. The living room was something else. He expected many things but certainly not this. The wing chair, to which the vampire pointed, was covered in pink old-looking textile. There was a sofa, on which said vampire was sitting, which looked like Hux stole it from some castle in France. There was an embellished coffee table and a big bookcase, a piano and chess table and so many room decorations that it was bordering on tastelessness. And oh my god… was that a stuffed squirrel?! Even though there was a bookcase, there were books everywhere, stacked in rather tall chimneystacks. Ben could see something that looked like a rolled up map standing next to a small television, which was probably from the eighties. Ben raised his eyebrows, put his rucksack on the floor and took out his camera.

“Is it okay if I take some photos here while we talk?”

“Right on, old sport,” Hux gave him another smile and Ben wanted to shoot himself. _Old sport?_ What?

“Thank you,” Ben mumbled and went to take a photo of the bookapolypse.

“So, how do we do this?”

Ben started up and nearly yelped when he heard Hux’s voice right next to his ear. How the hell did he move so fast? “Um, certainly from a bigger distance, please.” He took a step away from Hux and smiled carefully.

“Oh, excusez-moi, I’m not used to having company I don’t want to eat.”

Ben blinked. “Riiight,” he laughed nervously because he wasn’t sure if Hux was joking or not.

“I mean, not that I wouldn’t want to eat you, you’re absolutely dishy and-”

“Okay, I get it, Mr. Hux,” Ben quickly interrupted him and took another step back. “Could you perhaps sit back on the sofa so I could… think?”

“Oh! Oh! Yes, of course, I’m...I’m sitting.” Hux was back on the couch in a blink of an eye. “The work plan…?”

“The work plan,” Ben nodded. “I usually just come on visits and take photos of the house and some of your activities, so the readers could get to know you better. I’m planning on asking you stuff about your life and so on. I would absolutely bring some lights here because it’s...pretty dark in the whole house. Are those gas lamps?”

“Oh.” Hux blinked, visibly taken aback.

“Is it all right?”

“Well yes, I was just...under impression that it wouldn’t be just a few days.” Hux waved his hand and turned to look at what Ben was doing.

Ben frowned. “I don’t need much. Just a couple of photos and something about your life. Three days maximum, I would say.”

“I see,” Hux hummed. “Well then, shall we start with a house tour? And you can start by asking me questions as we walk. You can take your apparatus with you.”

“It’s a camera,” Ben mumbled but nodded. Hux was already at the door.

 

“Shouldn’t you offer your guest something to drink, Master?”

Ben turned after the voice as if he got stung by a bee. Where did it come from? There was a mousy looking man standing a few feet behind them. He was dressed in black dress trousers and a white shirt. He didn’t look like a vampire but he had a certain feel around him. Ben felt goose bumps on his arms just from looking at him.

“Oh! Yes, yes, silly me! Would you bring something to our guest, Dopheld?” Hux laughed miserably and waved his hand. Ben only then noticed the clothes that Hux was wearing. It was a deep burgundy coat with floral embroidery and a white shirt with frilly sleeves poking out of it. He had some kind of black diamond on the white cravat and yellowish trousers tucked into boots. Who the hell dressed this man?

“Of course, Master,” Dopheld grumbled as Ben started walking with Hux through the first-floor corridor.

Ben turned on his recorder. “Who was that?”

“Mitaka is my servant, don’t mind him. He won’t bother you. I have to sleep during the day so he does all the stuff I can’t. Well, most of the stuff.”

“I see,” Ben hummed. “I think that we could probably start with you introducing yourself? I don’t know much about you, just what the locals said… and that’s not much.”

“What did the locals say? I want to catch up on the slander.” Hux stopped abruptly and spun around. Ben walked right into him.

“Um just… That...That you, you-” once again, Ben couldn’t focus when the vampire was this close. “That you are a vampire, for example. And that you’ve been living here since the beginning of the 19th century.”

Hux rolled his eyes. “That’s boring,” he grumbled and started walking again. “Here’s my bathroom, you can use it if you have a need. Everything is fully functional.”

“So vampires use toilets?”

Hux gave him an amused look. “Of course we do, silly.” He leaned against the wall and waited for Ben to take photos of the bathroom. “I was born here, in Arkanis, in 1456 Anno Domini,” he looked at Ben, “that means in the year of the Lord.”

“I know what it means,” Ben mumbled from behind his camera as he was trying to zoom on the sink details. It had a gold faucet with gold flowers. Who had a gold faucet with gold flowers? “I didn’t think you were this old.”

“Yes, my age becomes me, I know.”

“I don’t think so,” Ben looked at him. “Your age can’t become you because you still look the same.”

“Oh!” Hux blinked and gave Ben his glass of water; where it came from, Ben didn’t know. That strange man probably brought it when he was fascinated with the gold flowers.

“How old were you when you--when you got turned?”

Hux frowned a little upon hearing this question. Surely, he must have expected it. “I was twenty-eight,” his nose twitched a little and his eyes bore into Ben with the same intensity as when they first saw each other in the hall.

“Oh, so that makes you over five hundred years old. That’s...That’s something.”

“You know, it’s not very courteous to talk about one’s age in such a manner, Benjamin.”

Ben set the glass down on one of the bathroom cabinets and walked out of the room. “I didn’t mean to offend you, I’m just… Our readers would like to know how old you are.”

“Of course,” Hux shook his head as if to calm himself. “Shall we proceed?”

“Yeah.” Ben nodded and followed.

 

“This is the dining room and it’s walkthrough, you see? Right into the kitchen. Which of course isn’t very typical in a Victorian house but since I don’t use the pastry and don’t need Dopheld to cook, I redecorated it.” Hux walked inside; Ben couldn’t stop watching him. The vampire held himself in such a strange and ethereal way. “I don’t usually eat here… It’s too big for me anyway. I used to invite my friends here but I...not any more.” Hux leaned against the dining table with his bottom and crossed his arms.

Ben looked around and his eyebrows rose. This had to be the strangest dining room he had ever seen. In the middle of the room, there was a long table, without any tablecloth on it, only more stacks of books, and parchments. In the centre of the table, there was an ornamental vase with flowers that looked long dead. Roses. Roses covered in delicate spider webs that looked like wedding veils. “Would you tell me something more about yourself? For example what you did before you became a vampire?”

“I was a soldier.” Another short sentence. Ben wanted to scream. How was he supposed to be interviewing someone who obviously didn’t want to share?

“And?” He looked at him hopefully.

“How old are you, Benjamin?”

“Twenty three.”

Such a pained look crossed Hux’s face that Ben had to look away from him. His gaze travelled to the adjoined kitchen. The kitchen was a mess. There were dishes everywhere – mostly glasses, mugs and decanters – and where there weren’t dishes, there were more books and trinkets. There even was an ancient looking spyglass lying on the cooker. At least the dishes looked clean.

“Would you like to go upstairs?”

Ben snorted. “Aren’t you a little bit fast? At least invite me to a dinner first.”

“What?” Hux frowned, and he looked so genuinely confused that Ben had to laugh. “You want a dinner? But I...Oh darn, I’m such a horrible host! You must think of me so lowly. I invite you to my house and now you’re famished and all I think about is showing you my house!”

“I’m not hungry.” Ben shook his head.

“But then why would you suggest--”

“I was only joking.”

“Oh.” Hux blinked. “You have a strange sense of humour, Benjamin.”

 

The upstairs had the same layout as the lower part of the house. But instead of a kitchen, dining room, bathroom and living room, there was a big bedroom, an office and something that Hux called his walk-in garderobe. It was basically a room in the size of his dining room but it was filled with clothes. There were wooden travelling chests, wardrobes, boxes and big blue ornamented sofa with golden embroidery and gold legs. This sofa was also covered with clothes. Ben wanted to cry, but instead of crying, he took a photo of it and planned to show it to his mother so she would see that he wasn’t a slob.

The office was a case on its own. The most dominant thing of the room was a big ebony table filled with papers and quills, much like Hux’s dining table. There were two armchairs, one green and one beige made of leather.

“Wow,” Ben breathed out as he looked around the room. “That’s… a lot of things.” He shook his head and blinked as he tried to take in everything that was around him. One of the vitrines by the wall caught his interest more than the rest of the antiques around the room. It was filled with what looked like a hundred different snow globes.

“Yes, I...I can’t get rid of them. It would be a shame. For example this, where would you find such a wonderful lute? It’s from the year I went to Londres for the first time, 1504, I should think.”

“Are those snow globes?” Ben went to the vitrine, not caring about Hux and his lute, which belonged to a museum and not a storage room. Sorry, an office.

“Yes!” Hux smiled at him; his smile faltered the second Ben opened the door of the vitrine and took out one of the globes.

Ben nearly dropped it when something snatched the globe from his hand and closed the vitrine’s door faster than he could even blink.

“Don’t touch my snow globes!” Hux growled and his eyes glistened with such anger that Ben felt his heart clench as he took an abrupt step back.

“I’m sorry,” he pipped. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

Hux was still growling, and Ben noticed his fangs for the first time. He gulped. They were really there. White as pearls and wider than he expected them to be. So it was really true. Hux was really a vampire. Until now, it could be just some eccentric weirdo but now… Ben felt something akin to fear forming in his chest.

“Should we go to the next room?” Ben offered, his voice an octave higher than usual.

Hux nodded firmly and huffed. “Yes,” he turned around on his heel. “Come, I’ll show you my coffin.”

“Your...Your coffin?” Ben stumbled after him. “You sleep in a coffin? That’s not a myth?”

“Of course not. I have to sleep there or else I turn into dust. I also kill all my victims there, so it smells a bit.”

Ben really didn’t know what to say to this and so he only hummed.

Hux turned to him, quirking one sharp eyebrow. “I’m just pulling your leg, Benjamin. Come.” He winked and opened the door on the opposite side of the hall. “This is my bedchamber. Mon nid.”

Ben still kept his distance, waited until Hux was in the room, and only then followed.

 

“Holy shit,” Ben breathed out as soon as Hux put on the lights.

The floor was wooden and haphazardly covered in red and blue Persian carpets. There were several chairs and armchairs around the bed, which stood in the middle of the farthest wall. Ben expected a canopy bed, but not this extravagant. The blankets were deep red with white pillows (Ben counted six) neatly folded at the head of the bed. The canopy above the bed was the same deep red with black fringe. The walls were covered in photos, painting, portraits, and various cloths. Ben noticed that there were no windows. Or rather, the windows which had been there had been boarded up with massive planks covered with something that could be either droplets of old blood or red paint. Ben didn’t ask. Instead of questions, he started to take photos.

“This is where I sleep during the day. I had to have the windows nailed up. Because of the sun.”

“So the sun hurts you? You don’t sparkle?”

“It burns me. I could catch on fire. Why would you think I sparkle?” Hux looked at him with confusion.

“Twilight,” Ben shrugged.

“The eventide?”

“No, the movie, Twilight.”

“I don’t know it.”

“Were you living under a rock?” Ben gaped at him.

“No? No...I’ve been living here since the 1840s.”

“That wasn’t a-- never mind.” Ben waved his hand.   

 

After they finished touring the house, they settled down in the living room. Ben looked at his phone; it was only nine in the evening so he still had some time to talk. And since Hux still didn’t answer some questions that Ben asked him, now was a perfect time.

“How did you like the house?” Hux asked Ben when Ben opened his mouth to talk, as if to stop him from prying. He was sitting in the same spot on the sofa as before. He was leaning against the armrest and inspecting his nails as if to appear nonchalant.

“It is very nice,” Ben gave him a polite smile. He didn’t like it, not at all. And that was an understatement. Hux seemed to believe him and beamed. “I especially like that stuffed squirrel over there.”

“Oh, you do?” Hux smiled even wider, his fangs strangely normal. “I bought it from...from...huh. It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head and sighed.

“Could we talk some more about you, please? The sooner we’re finished, the better. I really don’t want to annoy you more than necessary.”

“You truly want to leave as soon as possible, I see. Well, ask away. I won’t keep you.”

“Okay.” Ben put his mobile on the table between them and cleared his throat. “You’ve told me that you became a vampire in the fourteen something, right?”

“1485. August, twenty-second.”

“Huh,” Ben blinked. “It sounds familiar.”

Hux nodded a little. “I’m sure it does.”

“You said you were a soldier.”

Hux nodded.

“Could you tell me what happened? How did it feel to be turned? Did it hurt? Our readers would love to know these things for sure.”

“It’s not a nice story.”

“I don’t mind.” Ben tried to smile at him reassuringly, “I’m here to listen to you. That’s the whole point of it.”

Hux took a long breath and nodded, “All right. I remember that the morning was quite nippy for an August day. There was...there was a fog--”

 

_The ground was mushy and made sickly sounds every time Armitage took another step. It wasn’t his first battle but it was surely the biggest one. There were so many other soldiers marching with him, some of them were on their horses, some were meant to operate the cannons, some were only there to hold the banners and show to whom this country belonged. Armitage remembered feeling hurt that he wasn’t placed in the vanguard but now, as he watched the back of the head of the man in front of him, he felt a strange burn of gratitude._

 

“You don’t have to tell me about the battle itself, if you don’t want to,” Ben interjected when he saw Hux’s eyes unfocus. “Was it after the battle? Someone found you and saved your life?”

Hux scoffed, “Saved my life.” He shook his head. “It was after the battle, yes.”

 

_Armitage felt as if he was on fire, and that fire had its epicentre in the middle of his right side. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned with pain. He was sure he was dead when he saw the eyes of the stallion running towards him and the glint of a sword in its rider’s hand. The blow never came, because somebody got him from behind, kicking his back and sending him into the muddy ground._

_There was a strange silence around him. It was wrong, There shouldn’t be silence. There was a battle, a big battle. The armours and swords were clinking against each other, the people were screaming, horses too… the cannons, yes, there had been cannons._

_He could feel somebody touching his body, searching him. “Nghn--” he tried to protest against the searching hands. “My...my side,” he whimpered but nobody answered. The hands disappeared and then the stillness came again._

_He felt his eyes drop._

 

_Armitage opened his eyes with a gasp. His whole body was shivering, wet cold seeping into his bones. He could feel all the strength that was left in him going away. He would die, there was no question about it now. He would die. Alone. Forgotten._

_He wondered about the young man he talked to last night, before going back to the tent to sleep. They met under an oak tree, talked about stars and what was about to come in the morning. He had the most sorrowful eyes Armitage has ever seen. Did he survive the battle? Did he flee? Did he kill the rebel who wanted to usurp their country?_

_A sound caught his attention. A pitiful screamed that filled the void in his head. For a moment he thought it was him screaming, but then he realised that his lips were closed shut._

_Armitage blinked his eyes open and tried to lift his head to see what was happening. Maybe there were people searching for him and other soldiers who were still alive. Maybe they could help him. He didn’t care if they won or lost anymore, he just wanted to live._

_There, not so far from him was a knight, his armour glistening under the soft moonlight. He was looming above a soldier that had the same colours as Armitage on the bloodied cloth of his tunic._

_“H-hey--!” Armitage rasped, the knight had to be from the other army. And he was killing the survivors, that was apparent enough. Armitage wanted to take back his futile call for help, but it was too late._

_The knight heard him and let the soldier’s unmoving body fall to the ground. Armitage moved his arm to find his sword and grasped its handle. He didn’t have the time to pay the knight’s visage any more attention, he had to get up and fight for his life. He used his sword as a leverage and hoisted himself up to his knees. He could feel his head swim, his side throbbing with pain._

_He didn’t make it further; his sword was suddenly kicked away from under his hands. Armitage fell back into the mud and groaned with pain._

_“Aren’t you a little fighter,” the knight said, and even with the ringing in his ears, Armitage recognized that it was a woman’s voice. She nudged him with her foot and turned him over so he was lying on his back. “And handsome too. What a pity that I have to kill you.”_

_Armitage squeezed his eyes shut, his hand going to his belt where he found his hidden dagger, striking against her face. His blow was stopped by her grasping his wrist. That shouldn’t be possible, how could she be so fast?_

_“Uh-uh. I don’t think so,” she smiled at him like a cat watching a big fat mouse. “Are you afraid of death, little one?”_

_Armitage shook his head. His breaths going shallower. “No,” he mumbled._

_“We’ll see about that,” she hummed and leaned down, piercing his neck._

 

“Hux?” Ben mumbled, tilting his head. “Are you with me?”

Hux blinked and looked at Ben. “Yes?”

“You completely zoned out, for...um...forty minutes.”

“What?”

“Yes. So it was after the battle?”

Hux nodded, slowly, and hummed. “Yes, it was after the battle. I was...dying. Somebody tried to rob me, some bloody thief. But they saw that I was alive and fled.”

Ben nodded at him so he would continue.

“Then, when I woke up it was much later, the evening. There was a woman, in a knight’s armour. I didn’t pay her looks much attention back then. A vampire, she was searching for the survivors so she could finish them. Feed on them.”

“Did you try to fight her?”

“Yes, I did. But I was too weak, it was a pathetic attempt to save my sorry life. I still have the clothing somewhere.”

“Do you know who she was?”

Hux smiled a little, “Who she was? She was the king’s right hand, she fought along the Tudor. She brought me to him. After I was turned. We became friends, she and I. Very good friends.”

“You were fighting against the Tudors?!”

“Yes, I’ve told you already.”

“You didn’t!”

Hux raised one eyebrow, “Evidently you’re not good with dates.”

Ben made a face and Hux’s smiled, amused. “Whatever. This woman, is she still around? Are there more vampires?”

That made Hux laugh and clap his hands, “Of course, there are more vampires!” He waved his hands in the air before clapping them again. “You’re adorable,” he breathed out, laughter still apparent in his voice. “As to my dear friend, I can’t say. I haven’t seen her for a while.”

“A while?”

“We parted our ways in the nineteen sixties.”

Ben shook his head, he expected a month or a week when Hux said a while.

“I rather wouldn’t talk about her, if that’s okay with you.”

“Of course.” Ben nodded, “back to your turning then. Could you elaborate on that? Did it hurt? Did you have to drink her blood?”

Hux sighed, “That’s like asking a mother if it hurts to birth a child. Of course, it did hurt. After all, I had to die to become… this.” He gestured to himself. “As you can see, becoming a vampire makes you immensely attractive.” He looked Ben dead in the eyes and when he saw that Ben’s eye twitched, he started laughing. “You should have seen your face! Oh my, oh my--” he was wheezing, “I’m so funny.” Hux wiped a tear from under his eye and sighed.

Ben cleared his throat. “Right.”

“You’re no fun, Benjamin. That was a hilarious joke.”

“Of course.”

“You’re not laughing, that’s so sad.”

“Uhum, it’s very sad, Dopheld play Despacito.”

Hux blinked. “Come again?”

Ben waved his hand, “Nothing. Would you finish the story, please?”

Hux mumbled something under his nose and rolled his eyes. He accepted the fact that Ben wasn’t going to let the topic go. “At first, all I felt was a pain. But since my body was already dying and losing blood from my side wound, I didn’t feel much different. And then, when my vision started to blur and blacken, she cut her wrist with my dagger. She offered me her hand and made me lick it. I was too fatigued not to listen. And so I sealed my fate faster than the markings on my neck sealed themselves. I must have fainted because the next time I opened my eyes, I was in a room of sorts. It looked like a dungeon. A crypt. Which it was, as I eventually found out. She brought me there so nobody would hear my screams. I felt as if my whole body was on fire. Burning from the inside while a thousand of needles punctured every vein and capillary in my body. It lasted for a few hours, or it could be days. I’m not sure. The second time I woke up, I was hungry. And so she gave me a drink.”

“You drank from her?”

Hux shook his head. “No, she gave me a full pitcher of something I thought was wine. I didn’t ask where she got it. Or rather, from whom. I just knew that I had to drink it or I would go insane.”

“Is it true that the change makes you more handsome? Or your hair shinier? These things?”

“No, I’m afraid that this is just me.” Hux gestured to his face and smiled a little bit. One of his fangs caught on his lower lip and stayed visible, at least until a wide smile spread on his lips. “You think I’m handsome?”

Ben turned a deep shade of red. “Um, I was just… it’s a common trope. Anyway,” he cleared his throat, “I should...I should probably go. I was here for almost two hours and we were only supposed to set the rules.” Ben took his mobile from the table and turned off the vocoder. “Uhm, yeah, so… tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.” Hux nodded from the couch and watched as Ben got up and moved to the entrance hall. He didn’t get up to see him out, he was sure Mitaka would take care of it. And so he took his copy of Gulliver’s Travels from the table and opened it on the page where he stopped yesterday. Oh, how he loved modern literature, so many new concepts and things to marvel about!

Ben made it to the door when he nearly had a heart attack – god knows it wouldn’t be the first one today. Dopheld’s voice came out of nowhere, and when Ben turned, he saw him standing by the staircase.

“He killed me, you know,” he was saying and Ben only stared at him.

“What?”

“He killed me,” Dopheld repeated. “In the bathroom. In this house. It’s good that it was in the bathroom because there was blood everywhere. On the walls, on the curtains, on the floor and carpet, even on the mirror. It was horrible.”

“So you’re like...dead?”

“That’s usually what happens when somebody murders you, yes.” Dopheld came closer to him. “I am dead. I am merely a ghost. Because that moron killed me.” Ben didn’t know what to say so he stayed quiet and Dopheld took it as a cue to continue. “You’re foolish if you trust him. He’s not just a pretty face. He’s a monster. And a bloody idiot.”

“Okay, look, I don’t want to be rude but you’re kinda freaking me out so I’ll just go, okay?” Ben held up his hands and laughed nervously. “Just… See ya around.” He opened the door and walked outside, not looking around. Yes, a ghost, right. Ghosts were see-through. who did he think Ben was? A bloody idiot?

Only when he was back in his dorm, Ben realised that he was indeed a bloody idiot.

He left his rucksack there.


	2. Chapter 2

Ben didn’t return the next day—not that he was a sissy or anything; it was simply because he didn’t have time.

He came back to his dorm from his evening class at eight in the evening, and he was too tired to do anything else afterwards. Therefore, he only flopped on the bed like a dead fish and groaned into the pillow.

A few seconds later, the poster-plastered bathroom door creaked in its hinges as Ben’s roommate emerged from the bathroom. “Hey, I was getting worried that you got lost.”

Ben didn’t lift his head and didn’t answer, which earned him a smack on the ass.

“I thought that you were supposed to go to that interview session of yours today.”

Ben lifted his head just so he could rest his chin against the pillow and squinted into the light. Just as he thought, his roommate was wearing nothing but a towel around his hips. Drops of water were still rolling from his hair and onto his shoulders and shoulder blades. “Oh, Jesus! Have some decency, Dameron.”

“Why? Getting a boner?”

“You wish.”

“No, I certainly don’t. You’re not really my type, Benny Boy.”

Ben rolled his eyes and stared right in front of him, into the wall, just so he wouldn’t have to look at his roommate’s ridiculously attractive body. “I was supposed to go there but I’m dead tired. I’ll just…write what I gathered yesterday and continue tomorrow.”

“Shouldn’t you let him know or something?”

Ben snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“You can look now; I’m not in the towel anymore.”

Ben side-eyed him and groaned. “Oh god! You bastard! My eyes!” Poe wasn’t in his towel anymore; he was stark naked in front of his closet, showing Ben his ass and putting on his boxer briefs while sneakily laughing. “How old are you? Five?”

“Actually, five-and-a-half.”

“Have I already told you that I hate you?

“Nah, not today, anyway. So, are you going to phone him?”

Ben shook his head. “Not a chance.”

“Care to share why?”

“I doubt he has a phone,” Ben mumbled and raked his hand through his hair. “And my last postal pigeon died this morning. What a tragedy.”

Poe shook his head in amusement and sat down on his own bed. He bent over to look under it for his favourite pair of shoes. “I hope you won’t still be writing when I get back.”

“You going somewhere?”

“Not everyone spends their night in, Ben. I actually have a social life. I have my book club meeting.”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “You don’t go to a book club.”

“Nah, I don’t.” Poe smiled triumphantly when he fished his left shoe from its hiding spot.

“Tell the guys in The Closet that I said ‘hi.’”

“Oh, you know me so well.” Poe saluted him and continued his shoe hunt.

“Oh, yeah...I wish I didn’t.” Ben got to his computer and opened a new Word document.

 

**

 

The next day, Ben knocked on Hux’s door well after seven in the evening. He sighed a little tiredly and rubbed his neck. He had had a martial arts class earlier in the morning and he was still feeling sore—maybe because his partner had wiped the floor with him. He wasn’t half as good as he had considered himself to be when he had signed up for the advanced lesson;  the basics were for losers. Apparently, he was a loser himself—and it was time to admit it.

When the door remained closed, Ben knocked again, a little bit louder.

This time, the door opened and  Dopheld’s face appeared. “Ah, it’s you,” said the (probably) dead man with such a bored expression that Ben wanted to punch him in the face.

“Happy to see you, too.” Ben gave him a flashing grin. “May I come in?”

“No.” Dopheld closed the door in his face.

“What the— Are you for real? Open the fucking door!” Ben banged on it with his fist.

Dopheld opened and gave him another bored look. “Yes?”

“Let me in.”

“No.” Dopheld moved to close the door again, but Ben put his foot between the door and the doorframe to stop him.

“Why can’t I come in?”

“Because my master forbids it. He doesn’t want to talk to you, or to see you.”

“That’s ridiculous. Open the door.”

“No.”

“Open the door, or I’ll make you. Me and your master have an agreement, you—”

Hux’s velvety voice interrupted Ben mid-sentence: “Dopheld, let him in.”.

“Yes, _Dopheld_ , let me in.” Ben smirked and stepped through the door immediately after the servant opened it for him. He looked around the dimmed room and saw Hux standing by the stairs. The vampire was dressed in a black floor-length robe; there were feathers covering its edges. He looked ridiculous—at least that was what Ben was trying to convince himself of.

“Hi.” Ben waved a little. “Your squire is quite a jerk, do you know that?”

“He’s not my squire. And he’s not a jerk,” Hux said with an annoyed expression. “You didn’t come yesterday.”

 _Oh, I did come. Twice, actually_ , Ben thought. “I was tired. School stuff. Sorry.”

Hux blinked and looked at him, shocked. “You...You promised that you would come. And you didn’t. I was waiting for you!”

“I’m sorry. It’s not like I could let you know.” Ben rubbed his face and wanted to say something more but suddenly there was a vampire in his face.

“You’ve left me waiting here for you like a cretin,” Hux growled, baring his fangs. “You made me look like a fool. You promised.”

Ben took a step back, lifting his hands. “I’m sorry, okay? I really am. Please don’t kill me.”

Hux hissed like a cat and took a step back from him. “I don’t feed from filthy liars. Now be gone from my house.”

“Hux, don’t be ridiculous. I came home from school after eight. I was dead tired.”

“The dead aren’t tired. Trust me.” Hux pushed him a little and he was on the second floor in a blink of an eye.

Ben groaned. What was he supposed to do? Should he leave, as Hux wanted him to? Or should he follow the angry vampire upstairs? He decided on the latter and hoped that he wouldn’t become a dinner.  

Ben didn’t know where Hux had gone and he didn’t feel very comfortable roaming the hall all by himself. He got lucky when he peeked into the wardrobe room. His breath caught in his throat.

Hux was half-naked, only in tight black trousers that were hugging his slim legs as if they were a second skin. He had black knee-high boots that made him look a little bit taller. What caught Ben’s attention wasn’t Hux’s perky butt, but the milky skin of his torso. Ben expected him to be lean and muscled but there he was, so soft looking, with slim shoulders and ruffled hair. Ben wondered if Hux’s hair would shine in the sunlight, like a golden halo.

“It is not very polite to stare. Especially when I asked you to leave.” Hux covered his back with a white shirt and turned to face Ben when he buttoned it up in a mere two seconds. “Why are you here, Benjamin?”

“I’m here to interview you,” said Ben, trying not to stare at the frills of the shirt on Hux’s chest.

“Ah.” Hux nodded curtly. “Of course. And here I thought that our agreement ended when you—”

“I’ve already said I’m sorry, Hux.”

“That doesn’t mean I forgave you.”

Ben made an impatient face and didn’t comment on it.

“I have a good memory, Benjamin. Do you want to see the clothes I was wearing when I was turned?”

“Y-Yeah, sure.” Ben certainly didn’t expect him to change the subject so fast. “Sure. No jacket tonight?”

Hux gave him a look as he took a lime-green vest from one of his hangers. “No.” And then more softly: “Come.”  He motioned for Ben with his left hand, and Ben followed. Hux stopped in front of a travelling chest in the back of the room, which made Ben think of the order of this room. Did he keep the clothes in a chronological order—with the oldest in the back? “Here,” Hux said, opening the chest and taking out out a bundle of clothes, which he laid out on a nearby couch.

Ben didn’t know what he expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. He knew it was all very exciting—because the clothes before him were from the Middle Ages—but still, they looked rather plain to him. The jacket was made from a thick blue and red cloth, bloody from where Hux had been stabbed in his side and on the collar where his blood had trickled down from his neck.

“It’s not much, I know,” Hux mumbled behind his back. “Did you bring your device today?”

Ben shook his head. “No, only talking today. I’m… Thank you for showing me this. It looks really nice. I mean...for a uniform.” He gave it back to Hux, who took it gently from his hands and put it back into the chest. “I’m really sorry I didn’t come yesterday, Hux. I really didn’t want to make you angry...or, or—”

“Sick at heart?”

“I guess.”

Hux gave him a timid smile. “Well, I reasoned that you had probably been unsatisfied with me. That I was too boring.”

“Boring? Hux, holy fuck, you’re a vampire. How could you be boring?”

Hux shrugged.

“I mean, shit,” Ben continued.  “Just… Can we go sit somewhere and talk?”

“Of course.” Hux smiled a little bashfully. Ben could swear that he heard him whisper a silent: “I’m not boring.”

 

**

 

Hux was watching Ben eat a sandwich, which he had brought with him tonight so he wouldn’t die of hunger. Hux couldn’t comprehend why somebody would eat something that looked like that. It surely couldn’t be very tasty. Ben had just finished telling him what they would do today and it seemed that he was supposed to answer questions not about himself but about vampires in general.

“So...” Ben chewed on what he had in his mouth and swallowed. “Can we start?”

“Of course, Benjamin.”

“Could you possibly stop calling me Benjamin? Just Ben is okay.”

“If it’s what you wish, Benjamin.” Hux smirked playfully.

“Fine,” Ben growled. “So...I think we should start with the classics. My first question: is it true that you’re allergic to garlic?”

Hux smacked his lips together and laughed a little bit breathlessly. “No. I don’t know why people think that it has any effect on us. The only way  to stop a vampire from biting you with garlic is probably to eat it and then to breathe on them when they get close to you.”

“I did that once to get out of a date, actually,” Ben said with a snort. “I think it’s because garlic should protect you from evil spirits and blood-sucking insects.”

“Do I look like an insect to you?” Hux frowned. “Or like an evil spirit?”

Ben suppressed an amused grin. “Next question: crosses.”

Hux shook his head. “No. It’s…no. Look, vampires were there long before the Christians and such, so why would they suddenly start to fear crosses? Because it has something to do with  God? I don’t believe in God, so why should I fear him? I believed in him, once, but then I concluded that there is no God. If he was here, why would he let me exist?”

“It’s the same as when people are asking how can there be a God when children are dying,” said Ben.

“Children were always dying. Every time a child dies an angel is born. Everyone knows this.”

“Never heard of it.” Ben raised his eyebrows. “Next one: what about holy water? What about silver?” He took a big bite of his sandwich.

“I…” Hux looked at the ceiling and it appeared as if he was thinking it through. He didn’t answer Ben. Instead, he got up and walked over to one of his cupboards. “I feel like you’re only asking me to know what would work if you tried to kill me. And all the other vampires.” He took a small box out of the cupboard and walked back to the sofa. “Here… I think it’s better if I show you. Open it.”

Ben took the box and carefully opened the lid; inside the box was a simple silver chain with a pendant. It looked like tree roots holding a light blue crystal in their centre.

“It used to be my mother’s.”

“Did she...give it to you? Were you wearing it when you got bitten?”

Hux smile as he sat down once again. “Nothing so poetic, I’m afraid. I took it from my parents’ home when they died. I couldn’t bear the thought that someone else would find it there and steal it.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, well. It’s just a token of what used to be. Now, take it out please and put it on my palm.” Hux stretched his hand out towards Ben and waited. “Holy water cannot hurt me; it’s just a fable. Silver, on the other hand…” Hux hissed when Ben put the necklace onto his palm. “Have you ever touched a blade while it was still red-hot?”

“We don’t exactly have forges in this century, so…” Ben took the necklace away and blinked at the faint smoke coming of Hux’s palm. “Is it going to heal?”

“Yes, I’m going to be good as new in a few hours. Don’t worry about me.”

Ben nodded, transfixed by Hux's hand. It was so white and marble-like, hairless. He wondered if Hux was just as hard as marble or if he only looked like it—if he was cold and lifeless upon touch or if he burned like the fire that was his hair.

“Ben?”

He started upon hearing his own name coming from the vampire’s mouth. “Yes, I’m sorry. I got a little...lost.”

Hux gave him a gentle smile and leaned against the cushions.

“Can I use the bathroom?” Ben asked instead of continuing with the prepared list of questions. He didn’t wait for Hux to give him his permission before he walked away from the marble-like statue sitting on the sofa opposite from him.

When Ben got back from the bathroom, he sat down and wiped his hands on his pants.

“Is everything all right?” Hux asked. “Are you feeling well?”

“Yeah, just needed to take a whiz.”

“Come again?” Hux blinked.

“He needed to piss, Master.” Dopheld appeared out of nowhere with a bored expression.

“Holy shit, were you watching me?” Ben stood up and almost charged at the mousy-looking man. The only thing that was stopping him was a sudden grip on his shoulder. Ben looked to his right and his nose nearly collided with Hux’s face.

“I certainly wasn’t, and even if I were there would be nothing to look at.”

“ _Dopheld_ ,” Hux said, raising his voice a little. “Behave. Is something the matter?”

“I only wanted to ask if Master would like something for breakfast.”

“Ah! Yes, yes, of course. Would you mind bringing it here? Benjamin is asking me questions and this canapé is far more comfortable than my chairs.” Hux squeezed Ben’s shoulder a little and whooshed back to the sofa.

Ben glared after Dopheld and sat back down, thinking: _Fucking idiot._ Then he looked at Hux with raised eyebrows. “Your breakfast? Like a...like...I mean...” He indicated biting someone’s neck with his fingers instead of fangs.

Hux started laughing. “That is the most horrendous vampire imitation I have ever seen in my life, and that’s something because I’m really old, as you may know.”

“Whatever,” Ben grumbled.

“As for your questions, you’re right. Dopheld is going to bring me here a young ripe virgin: milky flesh, strong young heart, big full heaving breasts.” Hux licked his lips and gazed right into Ben’s eyes.

“Well, in that case, I think I’d rather go, okay?” Ben started getting up but stopped mid-movement when Hux started laughing. “What?”

“I’m jesting! Benjamin, you can’t possibly think that I was being serious!”

“Murder is funny to you?” Ben frowned at him and sighed when Hux pouted.

“I’m sorry. You can’t blame me for wanting to have a little bit of laughter. I’m here all alone. It gets lonely...and boring.” Hux shrugged. “I don’t drink from humans; put your mind at ease. I used to, but I don’t anymore. It gets dirty. It gets everywhere. On the walls, carpets, furniture. It’s a nasty thing, that blood. Have you ever tried washing blood out of a satin cravat? Oh, the horror!”

Ben raised his eyebrows; Hux had to be either gay or the most eccentric person Ben had ever seen. Not that he wanted to be stereotypical; there just was a certain vibe around him. This information, however, didn’t put Ben’s mind at ease at all—quite the contrary.

He was watching Hux talk, not really listening to anything he was saying. Ben was drawn to his lips: the plush lower lip and the small Cupid’s bow of the upper one. To the way his nose scrunched a little, how his green eyes shone, how his hair fell into his face a little. How—

“Your breakfast, Master.” Dopheld’s voice brought Ben back from his fantasies about Hux’s marble face. Ben looked to the servant and watched him put a tray with a glass full of a crimson red liquid on the coffee table. It took Ben full five seconds to realise that it wasn’t black currant juice.

Hux only nodded instead of saying thank you and took the glass from the table. He gave Ben a shy look before bringing it to his lips and closing his eyes. Ben saw that Hux’s fangs elongated a little, even though they had been prominent before. Hux drank from the glass as if his life depended on it. Maybe it was because his life did depend on it. It wasn’t like anything Ben had ever seen before. Hux didn’t let the blood drip from his lips and on his chin like they showed it in movies—no. It all seemed very clinical.

When Hux put the glass back on the table, his lips were painted red. He had a distant look in his eyes and a light intoxicated smile on his face. “B-positive.”

“I’m trying,” Ben stuttered. “It’s doesn’t always work. Life is hard, but—”

“No, silly,” Hux giggled. “The blood type.”

Ben felt his face heat up with embarrassment. “Fuck. Yeah, that…makes more sense. Is this your favourite blood type?”

Hux shrugged. “It’s not. I don’t have a favourite. It’s like trying to find a difference between water. I can tell the difference between the blood of a drunk person, or person on drugs or...virgin blood.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.” Hux nodded. “The virgin blood is very sweet, the sweetest there is. The other ones taste very bad. It’s not the same as it used to be. Another reason why I don’t drink from people. Everyone is full of medication. It makes the blood taste foul.”

“Where do you get this blood then?”

“From a friend. I won’t tell you details. I can’t risk you publishing them and me losing my source as a consequence.”

“You suck,” Ben grumbled.

“I don’t, that’s the whole point of it!”

Ben just rolled his eyes. “Let’s get back to the question, okay?” He waited for Hux to nod before saying: “I noticed that you have a mirror in your bathroom. Does it mean that you can see your reflection?” For a moment, before Hux could answer him, Ben felt a pang of sadness as he imagined Hux not being able to see himself. He would be pretty sad if he looked as he did and couldn’t know it.

“Ah! That’s an interesting thing!” Hux’s whole face lit up. “I can see my reflection because this mirror doesn’t have any silver in it. They used to mix silver into the glass, you see? But they don’t anymore, so I can see myself just fine. It was...an experience to finally see myself when they changed their ways of manufacturing.”

“Oh...I didn’t know that.”

“I’m not as stupid as you think I am.” Hux smirked and got up from the couch. “Care for a walk?”

 

One of the things that Ben had on his “things I probably won’t ever do” list was taking a walk through Arkanis with a man who was born in the Middle Ages. When Hux asked him if he would like to go for a walk with him, he expected that Hux did this often. As it turned out, he didn’t.

It was like walking with a little kid around a Disneyland—only in this case, it was just nighttime in an average European town.

“Cars. What a remarkable notion, don’t you think?” Hux was staring into a window of one of the parked cars by the curb. “Just...kooky.”

“Kooky?” Ben raised an eyebrow. “We should go; you can’t stare into somebody’s car like this, Hux. Someone will think that you want to steal it.”

“Why would they think that? That’s absurd.” Hux turned around and licked his lips.

Ben forgot everything he wanted to say. “I’m...I… Just don’t do it, okay?”

Hux gave him an innocent smile and they started walking. They walked in silence. Hux was visibly enjoying being out of the stuffy house and Ben was trying to will his mind to start cooperating. To go out, Hux decided that he needed to change clothes. Ben supposed that he would just change his whole outfit, as any reasonable person would do if he didn’t want to look like a historical mannequin who came alive. Hux wasn’t a reasonable person. Ben didn’t comment on his fashion choice when Hux came outside of the house in the same clothing, the only change being a long deep blue coat with a hood and two furry bobbles attached to it. He looked like a cute illustration from a Russian fairy tale.

Ben knew that he shouldn’t be having thoughts like this. It wasn’t professional. And it wasn’t right. Hux wasn’t even human and yet Ben was thinking that he was the most handsome man he had ever seen.

Hux was an anomaly; he was a creature from myths and horrors. Ben shouldn’t think that he was cute. He should fear him. He should spend as little time with him as possible. Surely he shouldn’t be taking walks with him, shouldn’t watch him gazing at the stars above them.

And yet…


	3. Chapter 3

On the next day, Ben brought his camera and all the equipment that he needed for taking pictures of Hux and his burrow. It didn’t take long for him to get all the photos he needed. The only problem was that they were somewhat monotonous: Hux on his sofa reading a book—his favourite hobby; Hux standing by one of his bookcases—looking nowhere in particular; Hux’s face from up close—his eyes, his lips, his profile. Hux laughing, trying to cover his teeth with his hand, telling Ben to stop looking at him like that.

It was one of the nicest evenings Ben had ever experienced; and with each passing minute, he was more and more sure that he was unmistakably in love with Hux.

Ben didn’t know what to do about it.

So, he decided to change his name and move to Mexico.  

This plan had only two faults: first, he didn’t have the money to go to Mexico, and secondly, he had a midterm test on Monday.

And now he was craving Mexican food on top of everything—simply amazing.

 

“Would you mind if I ordered some burritos?” Ben asked, completely out of the blue, when he was done packing up his equipment. Hux was reading in one of his books. Ben didn’t know which one because the binding was faded with age. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was the first copy of the Bible or something.

“Bonito? The fish?” Hux looked up with interest.

“No, burrito, the Mexican dish.”

“That rhymes!” Hux closed the book and sat more upright, his eyes gleaming. “Are you a poet, Benjamin?”

Ben wanted to bang his head against a wall. Was this creature even real? “No, I’m not a poet, though my cousin is. He lives in the States, drives a bus, chill guy.”

“Oh.” Hux’s shoulders sagged. “All right, I guess I can’t keep you from a repast. Will you come back when you’re packed like sardines?”

Ben didn’t comment on it. “I...I thought I would just google someplace nearby and order online.”

Hux hummed in agreement and opened his book once again.

After five seconds of pretending to read, Ben couldn’t stand it anymore. “Do you want me to show you how it’s done?”

Hux pursed his lips a little. “What makes you think that I don’t know?”

“Really, Hux? Really?”

“I am an intelligent person, just so you know. I can read, write, and—”

“Then what does it mean?” Ben sat down next to him. He knew he shouldn’t provoke him, but he couldn’t resist it. “What does it mean to google something? What does online mean?”

Hux ignored him for several seconds, thinking and chewing on his inner cheek. “Fine, I don’t know. Satisfied?”

Ben smirked. “Very.”

 

It was unbelievable that someone could live in the year 2018 and not know how smartphones worked. Or that they existed. Or about the whole concept of the World Wide Web. Ben wondered when the last time was that Hux went outside and talked to people, or if he was just locked up here the whole time and the only human contact he had was with Dopheld. And Dopheld wasn’t even human.

Hux looked like today was the best day of his life—aside from when Anne Rice had interviewed him—as he was watching Ben ordering his dinner. And so Ben decided that it was probably the time to show him the real game…his laptop.

“What is this?” Hux blinked when Ben pulled the device out of his backpack.

“Laptop,” Ben mumbled and set it on the coffee table. “You can work on it, browse pictures, look for things on the internet, watch movies, listen to music, play games…anything, really.”

“But you… It’s not on your lap.”

“No?”

“Why is it called a laptop?”

“Look, do you want me to show you or not?” Ben gave Hux a sharp look. It wasn’t that he was irritated by his never ending questions (maybe just a little bit); it was that the earnest look that Hux wore every time something caught his interest was way too adorable for somebody who could kill you in a second. It was driving Ben insane.

 

“And here, your house.” Ben typed Hux’s address into Google Maps.

“Holy shit, this  _ is  _ my house!” Hux squealed and grabbed the laptop, turning it towards himself. “Look! How...How is it there? How did it happen?”

“Everyone’s houses are there. Look.” Ben typed his dormitory’s address and turned it back to Hux. “This is where I live.”

“That’s an awful place, Benjamin! I’m so sorry.” Hux looked like he genuinely felt sorry for him. “You know, you could...you could spend the night here, anytime you want. Really. It’s no problem. I promise I won’t eat you.”

Ben looked at him and gave him a little smile, even though it was weird; it was touching that Hux cared about where Ben slept. “Thank you,” he answered. He didn’t want to spend the night there, but he didn’t have the heart to tell Hux the truth. “I’ll think about it.” His answer left the vampire beaming.

“You said that I could search anything on this site?” Hux turned his face back towards the screen and sat more properly.

“More or less.”

“Even people?” Hux looked at Ben, who nodded.

“Do you want to look for someone? Your friend?” Ben could imagine that Hux would like to find some of his own kin, maybe somebody he knew a long time ago. However, Hux shook his head. That made Ben feel various kind of ways. If not his friend, then who? Someone he loved? Ben felt a little bit jealous of all the possible lovers that could be there, around the world, dead or undead. “Your...lover?”

Hux shuddered a little—as if a ghost had hugged him from behind and nuzzled his neck. Ben quickly scanned the room for Dopheld.

“Can we watch that movie you suggested?” Another question from Hux, instead of an answer. “I’ll just...I’ll have to drink something before we start. I’m feeling a little bit dizzy.”

“Okay,” Ben mumbled quietly, and before he could blink, Hux disappeared.

 

Hux came back with slightly more colour in his cheeks and a drop of blood on his satin baby-blue robe. While the vampire was having a brunch, Ben managed to find the movie and eat an apple and four gummy worms, and so he didn’t notice Hux’s entrance.

“Hello,” Hux whispered into Ben’s ear unexpectedly.

“Holy shit, Hux!” Ben shrieked. “What the fuck are you doing?” Ben nearly fell off the sofa. “You have to stop with this, okay?”

Hux giggled, sounding a little bit drunk. “If there is any other way how to behave, I don’t know of it. So pardon me, sir, but I shall greet you as I find sufficient in my own edifice!”

“I didn’t understand a word you just said, leech.”

Hux drew in a scandalised breath. “What did you just called me?”

“Shut up and watch the movie.” Ben snorted and clicked play on the computer.

“Such disrespect—preposterous! You— Is that a doe?” Hux blinked at the monitor. “Why is there a doe?”

“Only God knows.”

“Doubt it, nobody’s seen him in centuries. He surely hasn’t seen this movie.”

Ben laughed a little and shook his head. He wasn’t sure if Hux had been joking or not. They remained watching the movie, Hux totally transfixed by it. It was only later into the movie when he started to comment on it, because—as he said—it was completely ridiculous.

“Why is he stalking her?” Hux looked at Ben. “Is this normal for you? You just… You watch women sleep when you want to court them? That is very disturbing.”

Ben shook his head. “Nah, we don’t. I don’t. But I don’t court girls, so that might be it.”

“Oh? But you should court a lady before you fully declare your love to her.”

“I just don’t like ladies,” Ben grumbled.

“Oh.” Hux hummed for a moment before continuing. “My eyes don’t change colour, nor can I read minds. We don’t have any special powers. Like they have…we have some, but…not this.”

“You have special powers?” Ben blurted out and nearly choked on a gummy worm.

“I should think so.”

“You should think so? What does that even mean? Just answer yes or no.” Ben was looking at Hux as if he had grown a second head.    

“I want to watch the movie, Benjamin.”

“You want to— It was you who started talking!”

“Shush!” Hux pushed him. Ben ended up flying off the couch.

 

“And he’s stalking her again, see?” Hux pointed to the screen where Edward was going into the forest after Bella. “Why is he like this? She’s clearly angry with him.” He shook his head, falling silent, but then continuing after a while: “What the… Why is he… Is that why you asked me if I sparkled? This… Oh no. No.” And also: “My personal brand of heroin? What is he talking about? Are you people really into this? Why...Why are they talking about lions and lambs? That’s...Benjamin! Why are you laughing at me?” He frowned at Ben, who was roaring with laughter.

“You should have seen your face!” Ben hollered.

“What is with my face?”

“You’re...you… You’re cute when you’re all worked up,” he wheezed.

“What?” Hux blinked.

“What?” Ben didn’t realise what he had just said.

“ _ What _ ?” came from the other room.

“You think I’m cute?”

“No?”

“But you’ve just said it!”

“I didn’t?”

“Yes, you did.”

“No.” Ben pursed his lips and shook his head.

“Benjamin.”

“Didn’t you want to watch the movie?” Ben chuckled nervously and turned back towards the computer, his ears burning. He could feel Hux watching him for another twenty minutes. Then, just as Ben was trying to pray to any entity that might be watching, something that totally made Ben’s breath hitch happened—

Hux took his hand.

 

**

 

When Ben got back home around ten, Poe was still awake and sitting on his bed, reading a book—probably about something completely out of Ben’s range of interest, as usual.

“Good evening,” Ben mumbled as he closed the door behind himself and yawned.

“Hey!” Poe beamed at him. “You’re back early!”

“Y-Yeah, I guess…” Ben stuttered and took off his shoes. “We were err...um...just… We watched a movie and it made me tired.”

Poe raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, oh, really.” Ben rolled his eyes and started to undress. “I took some photos of him, because that house is totally unpublishable. I had to come back early. I have to look through them and adjust them and—”

“Holy shit, let me see him!” Poe jumped off his bed and took his desk chair towards Ben’s desk.

Ben gave him a mean look. He didn’t want Poe to ogle Hux. He wasn’t stupid and could do the math: Hux was hot and Poe was Poe. That could end up with only one thing.

“What? I’ve never seen a vampire before! I swear I won’t laugh at him or anything. Does he look undead?”

“No,” Ben grumbled and put on a t-shirt. “He doesn’t look undead.” He opened his laptop and put it on his desk, sitting down. All his photos automatically went into his computer so he didn’t have to transfer them manually; that was a good thing. “He’s warm,” he mumbled and his cheeks heated.

“You touched him?” Poe gave him a curious glance.

Ben didn’t answer. Instead, he opened his photos folder to the first photo. “Here, that’s him.” He looked at Poe to see his reaction, but Poe was, like, frozen. He didn’t snicker at Hux’s clothes—surprisingly—and he didn’t even have any unwelcome remarks. Ben let him browse through the other photos, and kept thinking about he had left so abruptly.

Hux had touched his hand.

Hux was surprisingly warm to touch. Not like a furnace, not like a human, more like someone who was in cold weather for a while.

Hux’s fingers had been soft touching his hand—so gentle and careful.

And Ben had fled. He had sat like a statue for the rest of the movie, not daring to move or breathe, and when the credits started rolling, he grabbed his computer, forced it into his bag and with a stuttered ‘Goodbye, I have to go,’ he ran away.

Like an idiot.

“Are you listening to me?” Poe nudged his shoulder a bit. When Ben looked at him, his roommate was smirking.

“What?”

“Oh, you have it bad, don’t you?”

“ _ What _ ? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ben shook his head and frowned.

“Oh, but you know!” Poe laughed and then started to sing: “Ben and his vampire, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!”

“Shut up,” Ben growled.

“Why? What are you going to do? Tell your boyfriend to suck me?”

“Dameron!” Ben was getting red more from anger than from embarrassment. “I swear that I’ll punch your teeth out if you don’t shut up!”

“You wouldn’t punch me, Benny Boy.”

“Oh? Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you know it’s true,” Poe persisted. But he rolled away on his chair. “You have a big fat crush.”

“The only fat thing in this room is your ass.” Ben gave him the finger and took his laptop to his bed. That way he wouldn’t have to look at Poe’s shit-eating grin.

On the other hand, he would have seen a fluffy orange ball with black wings and eyes like pinheads looking into their window and carefully listening.

And having heard absolutely everything.

 

**

 

Ben woke up during the night to silent scratching on his window. He rolled to his other side and put a blanket over his head, refusing to acknowledge the sounds. It was probably a branch or something. Nothing to worry about.

_ There is no tree next to my window!  _ Ben’s mind screamed at him.

He opened his eyes and hesitantly looked over his shoulder. “Poe?” A light snore came instead of an answer. Ben rolled his eyes; of course, he would be the only one to wake up. Something inside Ben’s head was telling him to stay in his bed and not go to the window to see what was demanding his attention. However, it wouldn’t be Ben if he listened to the rational part of his brain.

And so he got up from his bed, grabbed one of his books lying next to it on the ground—the heaviest of them, of course—and tiptoed towards the window. Ben was ready to attack. He lifted the book over his head to kill the demonic creature, but instead of a demonic creature from hell, there was a small ginger cat staring at him with one paw against the glass.

“What the fuck,” Ben breathed out as he looked into its angelic eyes. “What the hell are you doing here? Go away.” He put the book on his table and turned to return to his bed.

The cat meowed.

Ben turned back and glared at it.

The cat meowed again.

Ben groaned and went back to open the window. “What do you want, kitty?”

The cat moved to go inside but its leg slipped and the poor thing fell down from the window. Luckily, Ben and Poe lived on the ground floor and so it fell into a bush under it. Ben raised his eyebrows, shrugged, closed the window, and went back to bed.

 

Just as Ben was falling asleep again, the tapping returned. “You have to be shitting me!” he groaned into his pillow and raised his head to look towards the window. And there it was, the cat was back. “Fuck my life,” Ben mumbled and got up from the bed. He opened the window, not waiting for the cat to get inside, and went back to his bed.

Ben didn’t even make it under his blanket before the cat jumped up on his bed and onto his pillow.

“Fucking forget it, that’s my pillow. Go sleep on the floor.” He pushed it away and down off his bed. Ben then pulled the blanket up to his ears so the cat wouldn’t grope him or something. It took the cat exactly three seconds to jump back on his bed and nuzzle against the back of his head and neck. Softly purring.

Ben opened one eye. When the nuzzling didn’t stop, he opened his second eye too and turned around. The cat was looking at him, its green eyes sparkling like two jade stones in the moonlight.

“What do you want?” Ben watched as the cat looked towards his blanket and then back to him. “You want under the blanket?” Ben could swear that the cat nodded. “No.”

He turned back towards to wall and closed his eyes. What was that cat thinking? That she could sneak into his room and watch him sleep like some— Wait a minute.

Ben frowned.  _ No.  _ That couldn’t be possible, he was just tired and not making any sense.

Or was it?

 

Come morning, Ben woke up with a foreign weight on his chest. First, he thought it was Poe’s fault, that his roommate had thrown Ben’s clothes that were constantly lying on the floor in their bathroom at him. He couldn’t have been more wrong. There, on his chest, hidden under the blanket, slept the night intruder.

It was softly breathing out, head laid on its paw. Ben wasn’t a morning person but this sight made his heart flutter a little. He didn’t want to wake it up, and so he slowly reached for his phone and snapped a photo of it. He didn’t know to whom he could show it—probably to Hux because he was ginger just like the cat. Gingers surely had some sort of club. Except for…Hux wouldn’t be in any club. He was alone in his big, old house. People feared him; they wouldn’t want to have club meetings with him.

A brilliant thought struck Ben then. That cat was surely a stray since it didn’t have any collar. Nobody would be looking for it. Maybe—just maybe—Ben could take it and give it to Hux so he would have some company. He would have to ask him in the evening during their last session.

Ben blinked; it was their last evening together. They’d agreed on four evenings. Ben had almost everything he needed for his article—only some more information about Hux’s personal life left, but that would be it. They would both go back to their lives (or deaths) and it would be over.

It was tragic. Tragic with a capital T.

Suddenly there was a bang as Poe closed the bathroom door with more force than necessary. “Good morning, Sunshine!”

Ben wanted to send him to the deepest circle of hell, but didn’t dare raise his voice. “Shush!” he hissed and looked over at his chest. The cat didn’t stir, just blinked sleepily, yawned and went back to sleep, nuzzling against his chest.

“What— Why?” Poe frowned. “Oh, is that a cat?”

“No, Poe, it’s an elephant!” Ben rolled his eyes. “Of course, it’s a cat. Are you so fucking daft that you can’t tell animals apart, or what?”

“I’m not the one who can’t tell rabbits and hares apart.”

Okay, Ben deserved that one.

“What is she doing here? It’s against the policy to keep animals in here. I won’t pay a fine just because you’re saving street animals. She’s small. Is it a kitten?”

“Do you ever shut up?” Ben sat up carefully, cradling the cat in his arms so it wouldn’t wake. “She came here during the night; she had been tapping on the window so I let her in. I’m not keeping her.”

“So, you’re throwing her out on the street?”

“No, I’m going to leave her here during the day and then I’ll take her to Hux’s in the evening, maybe he would like to keep her.”

“So you’re bringing him fast food? I would rather give her to a shelter than to see her get eaten by some crazy maniac.”

“He’s not going to eat her.” Ben looked at the cat, who blinked at him. “He isn’t, am I right, kitty?” He bumped her nose and the cat sneezed. “See?” Ben looked back at Poe. “She’s going to love him.”

“Oh? You mean like you do?” Poe smirked.

“I really hate you.”

 

**

 

“So, is  _ Walking on Sunshine _ your favourite song?” Ben was standing in front of Hux’s door, rehearsing flirting. So far it seemed that he would need to try a lot more or give up entirely. “Of course that he doesn’t like that song; he doesn’t even know it.” He rubbed his face and raised his hand to knock. To his surprise, the door opened before he had a chance to.

“You can’t go inside.” It was Dopheld, playing his game once again. It was starting to get on Ben’s nerves.

“Seriously?” Ben looked at the servant incredulously.

“Yes, seriously. My master is not his best today. I have to advise you to leave.”

“What? How— What do you mean that he’s not his best? Is he sick? Is he having some vampire episode thing, or what?” Ben blinked. He wasn’t sure if the ghost was making fun of him or if he was being serious. Hux said that he doesn’t kill people, so why would Dopheld imply the opposite?

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Now go.”

“But—”

“I said go!”   

Ben took a step back and frowned. Why would Hux lie to him? “I want to see him.” He shook his head and grasped one of his backpack’s straps. “He won’t hurt me.”

“What?” Dopheld spat. “You are insane! Of course, he would hurt you; he’s a vampire and you are a walking snack. Just turn around and go home.”

“He won’t hurt me.” Ben was sure of it. Hux would not hurt him. He was not like that. “We have a connection.”

Dopheld snorted. “No, you don’t. But okay, if you want to die, just go and let him kill you. Then maybe he’ll let me go and you’ll be the one to serve him until somebody finally pierces his heart with a silver bullet or a spike,” he spat.  

Ben pushed past Dopheld, even though he would be probably able to go through him, and stepped into the house. Everything was strangely quiet. Almost…sinister. Especially when Ben knew that there was a vampire in the house.

“Master is in his bedchamber,” Dopheld said, and when Ben turned to look at him, he was gone.

 

Ben took the stairs one by one, softly putting his feet down so he wouldn’t make a sound. He didn’t know if it would help somehow; Hux could probably hear his blood pressure or something. How did they say it in the movies and the endless stories that Ben read on the internet? Hux could probably feel the blood pulsing in his strong, manly veins or—

“Benjamin?” came a meek sound from down the hall, making Ben stop at the top of the stairs. “Benjamin?”

Hux was calling him; that could only be a good sign, right? And so Ben went on. He no longer took careful steps, he just wanted to be closer to Hux. The way Hux called his name was oh-so-hypnotizing.

With the bedroom door being closed, Ben was very cautious while opening it. The room behind it was dark: no lights, no candles, nothing. Ben couldn’t see a damn thing.   

“Benjamin, is that you?” came Hux’s voice from somewhere in front of him.

“Y-yeah,” Ben stuttered. He felt as if his mind had been clouded by a very thick mist, his tongue made of wood.

“Have you brought me a gift?” Hux purred from the darkness.

“I, no. It… I wanted. As a goodbye. It ran away. I mean she… T-the gift.”

“Come here, darling.”

“Yes,” Ben breathed out. “I mean, what?” Why did he say yes? Why did Hux call him darling all of sudden?

“I missed you.”

“Y-You missed me?” Ben took two steps towards Hux’s voice and tripped over something. “Fucking hell.” He straightened, took another step and tripped again. “Shit, what—” Suddenly there were hands around his waist and someone was pulling him into the bed, which smelled faintly of cherries and mustiness.  “Hux, what are you—”

“Armitage.”

“What?” Ben asked as he was pulled into the pillows. Suddenly there was a head on his chest, a cheek nuzzling against him.

“That’s my name, use it.”

“All right.” Ben gulped. “All right.”

“You’re trembling.” Ben could feel Hux—no, Armitage—smiling. “You’re afraid of me.” It wasn’t a question. “I won’t hurt you, Ben.”

“I’m not afraid of you.” Ben took a deep breath and tried to calm his heart, which was now beating so hard that it had to burst through his chest in any second.

There: the smile came again. “Your body sings a different song.”   

“My body sings? I’m sure it doesn’t; I can’t sing. Speaking of singing, do you know the song  _ Walking on _ —”

“Sssshhh.” Hux put a finger on Ben’s lips. “Stop talking, dummy. You’re trembling and your pulse is very quick, your breath is hitching. Why else if not that you’re afraid of me?” He buried his nose in Ben’s hair and inhaled loudly. A soft moan escaped his lips. “You smell so divine.”

Ben gulped. All the symptoms that Hux was taking for fear were consequences of something very different. He didn’t know how to tell him. He couldn’t possibly say ‘It’s because you’ve been making me hard since the day I first saw you.’

Ben angled his head a little and blinked into the dark, his vision slightly better now. Looking into Hux’s face, he saw that he was smiling softly. He was so close to him that his heart almost stopped, and Ben felt as if he was being swallowed up by desire.

Hux’s cheeks were slightly flushed—his hair in complete disarray—as he was smiling at Ben. His fangs looked like the cutest things Ben had ever seen, even though he knew that they were the weapons of a killer. Ben’s eyes went to Hux’s lips, the plushness of them, the pink colour and slightly darker hue of the upper lip. Ben curiously raised his hand and traced his fingertips across Hux’s cheekbone. There: a little mole.

“What are you doing?” Hux whispered, and Ben’s eyes bored into his. The room was still dark and Ben could remember them very clearly, but right now, in his current state of mind, he felt as if there wasn’t a colour in the world that would do them justice if he tried to describe them.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Hux’s smile got a fraction wider.

“No,” Ben whispered and captured Hux’s lips in a soft kiss. It was all very sudden, in one moment he was wondering how the hell he’d ended up in a bed with a vampire and in the next second he was kissing him.

It was soft; it was cautious… It was perfect.


	4. Chapter 4

The kiss lasted only a few moments, but Ben felt as if it had lasted a month. He didn’t want it to end. Not now, not ever. Hux’s lips were the softest lips Ben had ever kissed; he imagined that had to be what clouds felt like.

It was Hux who broke the moment and pulled away from Ben. Ben could feel his shallow breath on his nose as Hux remained with his eyes closed and lips slightly parted, looking like a sensual marble statue.

“You...You kissed me,” Hux whispered as if he was afraid that the moment he said it aloud, it would all dissolve into a dream. “Why-Why did you—”

Ben kissed him again. He, too, was afraid that this was all just a hazy dream. Their noses bumped into each other, neither of them knowing what they were doing. After a short while Ben mustered up all the courage he could find in himself and rolled Hux under him.

“Because you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“You mean it?” Something glistened in Hux’s eyes. Tears, Ben would realise moments later when he was kissing Hux again.

“I’ve never been this sure about anything in my whole life,” Ben said.

“Benjamin…” Hux caressed Ben’s cheek with the back of his hand. “I could kill you.”

“I don’t fucking care,” Ben chuckled and kissed him again. The mist that he had felt earlier around his brain was thickening, making him more and more tired. It was as if Hux wanted him to sleep, as if he hypnotised him to make him feel safe.

“You’re not tired?” Hux smiled at him and nosed against his jaw. “We don’t have to do anything. We can just...keep doing this.” He kissed him on one of his moles. “I’m a shameful lover anyway.”

Ben laughed softly. “Kissing sounds okay.”

“Okay.” Hux smiled and closed his eyes.

 

**

 

When Ben woke up in the morning— Wait a minute. He had come to Hux’s house and had wanted to give him the remaining questions, but now there he was, in a bed that wasn’t his, fully clothed and with a weight upon his chest.

For a few short seconds, Ben thought that he only dreamed yesterday up and that it was the cat that fell asleep in his bed. But when he opened his eyes and looked on his chest, the only thing he could see was a long pale arm.

Hux.

Ben nearly fell off the bed when he realised just what had happened.

He had kissed Hux.

He had—

Ben slowly turned his head to the side, where the arm seemed to be coming from, and his breath hitched. Hux was sleeping. It had to be morning then.

“Armitage,” Ben whispered, remembering yesterday evening. A soft smile spread on his lips. Hux had been so gentle, so careful, and so completely different from what he would expect. Their noses had bumped together; their kisses had been sloppy; Hux’s cheeks had been wet with tears.

Ben carefully lifted Hux’s arm and put it away from him. He turned on his side, so he could face the vampire, and had to smile even wider. “Armitage.” The name sounded so right on his tongue—as if he had said it a thousand times before.

Hux’s nose twitched a little and he made a soft sound, scooting closer to Ben. And Ben knew that he shouldn’t have – there was something about not waking a sleeping vampire (or was it a dragon?) – but he just couldn’t help himself with how loveable Hux looked when he was silent and not speaking in riddles and phrases that didn’t make any sense.

As Ben was looking at him, he couldn’t comprehend how someone this sweet-looking could own a stuffed squirrel and have it in his living room.

He softly kissed the knuckles of Hux’s hand and watched him for a reaction. It didn’t come. And so he continued. He kissed him on the back of his hand, on his dainty wrist, on the forearm and the inner part of his elbow. The pale skin ended there, hiding under a rolled up white shirtsleeve. Ben softly touched the material; it felt coarse against his fingertips.

“Benjamin?” came a sleepy voice and Ben pulled away his hand as if he had been burned. “What—” Hux yawned. “What are you doing?”

Ben gave him a smile like a child who had eaten all the cookies before dinner. “Nothing.”

“You woke me,” Hux mumbled and rubbed his eye, taking his hand out of Ben’s reach.

“I’m sorry.” Ben shifted closer. “Sleep.”

“I can’t sleep, now that I know you’re awake,” Hux grumbled into the pillow. “I can’t sleep when somebody is watching me. Especially if that somebody is a dashing young man I fancy.”

“Please tell me you don’t mean Dopheld.”

Hux smiled lazily. “No, you ninny.” He yawned again. “Will you stay here with me?”

“And watch you sleep?”

“It would only be fair.” Ben could tell that Hux was falling asleep now, with how slurred his words were. “You staying in my bed...after you let me stay in yours.” He smiled into the pillow.

Ben blinked. “What?” 

Suddenly, the realisation dawned upon him. That was why he couldn’t find the cat when he had come back home from school. It was because the cat had a home. A big Victorian home, within which Ben currently was.

“It was you! You were the ginger cat that— Oh my god! You slept in my bed!” Ben sat up abruptly. “You…You snuggled with me. You... Oh my fucking god!”

Hux looked at him sleepily. “Stop hollering, darling. I’m trying to sleep.”

“No, you won’t sleep, you sneaky bastard! You were spying on me!”

“Did not.”

Ben grabbed one of the pillows and hit him. “Wake up!”

Hux grumbled.

“I said wake up!” Ben hit him again. “Stop pissing me off!”

In a second, before he could realise what he was doing, Hux had him pinned against a wall. Ben struggled to catch his breath; the hit punched it out of him. “I said I’m sleeping!” Hux hissed into his face, fangs bared and his nose twitching.

“I was, too, yesterday.” Ben wheezed and grabbed Hux’s shoulders. “You creep,” he said with a silent laugh. “You could have just…knocked or something.”

“It was easier that way,” Hux mumbled, and let himself be turned around and pushed against the wall.

“Was that why you were acting so strange yesterday?”

Hux nodded a little. “I was stuck there. I can walk around in the aubade when I am in that form. The shifting always takes its toll when it lasts too long.”

“So, if you’re a cat for too long you become…cuddly?” Ben raised his eyebrows and moved his hand from Hux’s shoulder to his neck. Hux was watching him with interest.

“Yes.”

Ben looked up into Hux’s eyes and smiled a little. “I like you cuddly.” He pressed his forehead against Hux’s and closed his eyes, trying to will the nervous fluttering of his heart away.

“Darling?”

Ben shook his head a little, taking a deep breath. “I’m okay.”

Ben wasn’t okay. He was panicking. He knew where this situation could lead and he wasn’t sure if now was the right time to commit himself to such an act. Hux had been nothing but kind to him; Hux was handsome and caring and very friendly, but on the other hand, Hux was a vampire and that meant a commitment, didn’t it? He couldn’t just break up with someone who was capable of murder. But Hux wasn’t a murderer. Hux was Hux. Nothing else, nothing less.

Nothing more.

“You don’t seem okay,” Hux whispered softly and took Ben’s face into his hands. “Would you rather we—”

“No!” Ben blurted out. “No. I’ve just never— And I would like to. It’s just that—“

“Oh, Benjamin.” Hux brought Ben’s face closer and kissed him softly. “Don’t be afraid,” he mumbled in between the kisses. “It’s not that hard. I promise.”

Ben nodded and broke the kiss, moving his head lower—planting soft kisses on Hux’s chin, on his soft jaw, under his ear. “Just…guide me,” Ben whispered and gently sucked on Hux’s neck. The vampire made a soft sound, going pliant in his arms.

“That’s…exactly, exactly, where...where she…she bit me…there.”

Ben stopped. “Is it?”

“Yes. Good thing that you’re not a vampire, right?” Hux laughed a little breathlessly, his leg going up and around Ben’s waist. “Pick me up, would you?”

Ben obeyed and grabbed Hux carefully by his butt, lifting him up against the wall. “Like this?” Hux felt surprisingly light in his arms.

“Yes, and now continue.”

“Okay.” Ben nodded and returned his lips to Hux’s neck, kissing him on the same spot as before. He closed his eyes and tried not to think too much about what he was doing. Maybe this time he would make it, maybe this time—

“You…You know, we…we bond like this. We drink each other’s blood. And we bond.”

“Shame I’m not called James.” Why did he say that? Ben wanted to kick himself in the ass.

“Stop talking nonsense and take me to bed, love.”

Ben didn’t have to be asked twice.

“Can we turn on the lights?” Ben asked when he had clumsily laid Hux on the bed. “I want to see you. Really see you. Not see you like I’m almost blind.”

“Oh, how romantic!” Hux beamed and clapped his hands. Ben shook his head upon Hux’s sudden childishness and went to turn on the lights. The gas lamps sprang to life and he went back to the bed. Hux had made himself more comfortable in the meantime—He was now lying on the bed only in his shirt.

Ben blinked. “Holy shit.”

“What?” Hux giggled nervously and brought his hands towards his crotch. “Is it bad?”

“No, I just…” Ben shook his head. “No, quite the opposite.”

Hux blushed and bit his lip, raising his eyes somewhere towards the ceiling. “You’re saying it just because you want to get into my undergarments.”

“You’re not wearing any.”

Hux barked out a laugh. “Touché. It’s been over one hundred years. I’m impatient.”

“Over one hundred— Are you serious?” Ben climbed into the bed and knelt awkwardly next to the vampire.

“Yeah. I wasn’t exactly outgoing, you see?”

“Never would have guessed.” Ben put his hands into his lap, refusing to look between Hux’s legs.

“Benjamin, I know that you’re new to this, but I’m not getting any deader. Just ravish me already.” Hux dramatically threw back his head and put his arm across his eyes.

“What?” Ben gulped.

“I don’t know, but is it working?” Hux peeked from under his arm. “I have no idea how people have sex these days. Pardon me.”

Ben smiled softly, all his previous courage gone. He swallowed the uneasy feeling forming in his throat. “You said you were sleepy.”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to let you sleep, okay? I’ll...I’ll come back in the evening and we can finish the interview.”

“What?” Hux blinked at him. “But you… You woke me up, you— You can’t possibly leave me here now. I thought that you wanted me to help you to become a man!”

“What? No, Hux, I’m…I’m sorry, okay? I just…don’t feel like it.” 

The truth was, Ben was scared. He couldn’t just have sex with a vampire; the thought of having sex with a human was scary enough. And Edward almost killed Bella during their sex, didn’t he? And what about all the other creatures? Like succubi and other sex demons? What if he ended up dried out like an old plum or something?

“You don’t feel like it.” Hux nodded and frowned a little. “All right, then. I think I understand what this is about.”

“Hux—”

“No, I get it, Benjamin. You go home. I’m going to sleep, it’s all right. You are not ready yet. That happens.” Hux gave him a little sad smile and covered himself with a blanket. He turned his back to Ben and didn’t say anything else.

Ben remained sitting there, not quite knowing what to do or what to say. “So, you’re okay with me coming here in the evening? You’re not angry with me?”

“No. Just go now. I’m tired.”

Ben remained looking at Hux’s back, chewing on his lower lip. Was Hux speaking the truth? What if it was one of those cases when the person said that they were okay but in reality, they weren’t okay and… 

“It’s not you, Armitage,” Ben mumbled and got up from the bed. He took his unpacked bag from the ground and turned off the light when he left the bedroom.

 

**

 

When Ben got back to the dorms and closed the door behind him, he was glad to finally be home. He was trying not to think about anything that had happened in Hux’s house, but it was very hard not to. The memory of Armitage’s soft lips was still too vivid on his skin.

One of the desk chairs right in front of Ben slowly turned around to reveal Poe sitting there with his fingers laced together and eyebrows raised high. “Well?” Poe said.

Ben rolled his eyes and flopped onto his bed. “Fuck off, Poe...”

“Ummm— Nope!”

Ben groaned and lifted his head; he looked at Poe and strained his neck. “Fuck,” he mumbled as he rolled onto his back and put a smaller pillow over his face.

“Did you?”

“What?”

“Fuck.”

“No!”

“All right, you don’t have to get so defensive on me, Ben.” Poe laughed a little and shook his head, not that Ben saw it. “But you spent your night there, didn’t you? How come that you didn’t fuck?”

“Because I’m not you?” Ben sighed and put the pillow aside. “I don’t know. We just… We kissed and I fell asleep. And then in the morning, we kissed some more and he wanted to sleep with me, but I just— I chickened out.”

“You chickened out?” Poe blinked. “You want to tell me that you kissed the hottest thing that ever happened to you and said thing wanted to sleep with you and you chickened out?”

Ben nodded. That was exactly what happened and Poe was right: Hux was the hottest person he had ever met. And now he fucked it up. Like always. What was he going to do? He had promised that he would come back in the evening, and it was supposed to be their last evening anyway. He couldn’t possibly sleep with him...or could he?

“Do you like him, Ben?”

It was a simple question. One of the simplest, actually, but Ben couldn’t bring himself to answer.

“Because I think that you do. Why else would you be saying his name in yours sleep and rutting against your blanket?”

“ _ What _ ?” Ben looked at him, utterly scandalised.

Poe laughed nervously and nodded. “Yeah, I think I’m going to be damaged until I die.”

“Oh, shut up.” Ben sat up. “Do we have some beer?” He got up from the bed and went to look into their mini fridge. To his luck, there were two cans left. He grabbed them and tossed one to his roommate. “I haven’t slept with him because it’s a bigger deal for me than it is for you, Poe.” Ben sat back down on his bed and leaned against the wall, opening the beer can.

“How so?”

“Do you really want me to say it?”

“Oh god, you’re a—”

“Yup.” Ben nodded and laughed miserably. “I am.”

“But how can you— I mean have you seen yourself? True, you’re a nerd but still, that’s just— Wow.”

Ben snorted. “That’s the most bullshit thing, okay? Even hot people, and I know I am one, can be virgins. I just… I am focusing on my studies and, in high school being gay wasn’t exactly easy. So drop it. As for Hux, I really like him, Poe. He’s attractive and funny and cute. Super awkward, yes, but he’s just…When I first saw him, I swear that I got a boner, right there in that exact moment. He has this vibe around him. It’s like— I don’t know. I don’t know what scared me so much.”

“Maybe the fact that he’s a killer?” Poe asked with disbelief in his voice. He took a swig of his beer. “I think that this fact could be a little mood-killing, you know?”

“He’s not a killer.”

“He’s a  _ vampire _ .”

“He’s not a killer!” Ben raised his voice, the anger he felt toward himself overtaking him. “Don’t you have a class or something?”

“No, I don’t.” Poe got up from his rolling throne. “But I’ll go out. You clearly don’t want to talk.” He grabbed his leather jacket and saluted him. “Go get ‘em, tiger.” 

With a smirk, Poe left the room.

 

**

 

When the evening came and the sun set, Ben decided that it was probably time he went to face his destiny. He snorted at his own thinking. Destiny. Yeah. He should probably stop watching television if he thought Hux was something like his destiny.

It didn’t take him longer than normal to get to Hux’s house and to knock on the door. Mitaka opened it for him and let him inside; today it went without any additional fuss from the ghost. He only gave Ben a vile look and went towards the kitchen, probably to clean the dishes or something similarly mundane.

“Benjamin, is that you?” Came Hux’s voice from the living room. There was a swish and Hux was pulling Ben’s backpack from his back.

“Holy hell!” Ben nearly jumped out of his skin. “You really need to stop doing that.”

Hux’s shrugged. “I am very sorry; I just was too zesty to see you.”

“Come again?”

“Nothing. Come, come.” Hux gently took his hand and led him to the living room. When they entered, Hux planted himself on the sofa and sighed.

“You look very lovely tonight,” Ben noted as he took his usual place. He didn’t think that Hux looked lovely at all. The suit that he was wearing was probably the most kitschy thing Ben had ever seen. Hux clearly wanted to look pretty, though, so Ben didn’t want to ruin it for him.

“Oh, you noticed?” Hux said with the kind of tone that made it clear that he had spent way more time putting his outfit together than he would like to admit. “I just threw something on myself.”

“You look like a Renaissance painting.”

“Renaissance? People didn’t wear this in Renaissance, dummy.” Hux smiled and fluffed up his hair a little. 

Ben eyed Hux’s deep pink suit, which was adorned with embroidered white and green flowers around the jacket opening and on its cuffs. There were frills on the sleeves that were peeking out from the jacket, and frills at the collar, too. His pants were the same deep pink as the jacket, complete with white knee-high stockings and lime green shoes. “Aren’t you hungry? Have you eaten?”

Ben shook his head. “No, thank you.” Truth to be told, he had eaten almost a whole fried chicken before he left.

“All right. I don’t want you to be famished.” Hux gave him a smile. “So—”

“Can we start?” Ben interrupted. He didn’t want to go through the small talk; this was awkward enough without it.

Hux closed his mouth almost immediately and looked a little taken aback—but he didn’t protest. “Of course,” he mumbled, sighing. Ben could see that something was maybe amiss, but he didn’t ask.

“Fine, great.” Ben pulled out his mobile phone and put it on the table, starting the recording. “I have no questions for you today; I would just like to talk about your life a bit, if that’s okay?”

“Of course.” Hux nodded and leaned against the hand rest. “Anything you wish to know, darling.”

Ben gave him a tight smile. “Okay… So, I’m sure that you travelled a lot during your life. Would you tell me where have you been so far? Some of your favourite places?”

“Well, I…I was born in Britain, as you already know, so this might count as one of my favourite places. Do you like the place where you were born?”

Ben sighed. This was typical. Every time he asked Hux a question, the vampire took it and twisted it against him. Was he aware how interviews were supposed to go? That he was supposed to answer questions and not to give them? And so Ben only shrugged to let him know that it was his turn to talk.

“I really like it, Britain. I used to hate my life. We were poor, mostly didn’t have anything good to eat. And then when the war came all the young and capable were meant to join the army. I think that I hated my life even more after that, even though I knew that it could end in the very next moment. But then, after, when I became this, I learned that my life hadn’t been so beastly after all. I wouldn’t wish this life on anyone, Benjamin. This is not a life. This is just…an excuse for living. But surely you don’t want to hear about that.

“After Britain, I moved to France because you haven’t lived if you haven’t been to France. Not that I was living by then, I just wanted to matter. And so I did. It was me and my friend back then. Well, not always… I loved France. It is a marvellous country, or at least it used to be. I had so much fun there: all those frills and beautiful patterns and shoes. All the gold and cakes. I couldn’t eat them, of course, but I still could enjoy the look of them.”

Ben was watching him speak: the soft movement of his hands when he was talking, the look in his eyes as he was trying to remember. It was strange; Ben couldn’t remember what he had for breakfast yesterday and now he wanted Hux to tell him about stuff he did centuries ago. Surely he couldn’t remember it very clearly. “Did you drink from people back then?”

“Oh… Well, yes, I did. I fed on them to survive. It was much easier back then. I was drunk on the high status I had,—drunk on the money and prestige that I held. It was my friend’s doing, of course. She always knew which strings to pull to get us into high places. It was all this that made me not think about what I was doing. It didn’t occur to me that those people could be somebody’s family. I just wanted to live and to survive. So I killed them.”

Ben could feel the realisation slowly dawning on him: Poe had been right. Hux wasn’t some meek docile creature; he was designed to kill. “How was it?” He breathed out, unable to stop himself.

“The killing? It wasn’t anything sensual, if you are thinking about that. It was just what I had to do. I just…bit down and drank. It’s like when you try to suck on a wet cloth but more about your instincts. The blood tasted different back then. It was purer, better, would satisfy me for much longer time than now.”

“So, that’s why you stopped?”

Hux shook his head a little. “Not only that. I couldn’t kill them. Because I was jealous of them. They were living, had families, love… Who was I to rob them of it all? I didn’t want to be the same monster as my creator.”

“Monster?” Ben blinked. “But you said that you were—“

“Friends, yes. I know what I said. But I also said that I haven’t seen her in a very long time. This was the reason why we fell apart. She didn’t agree with my reasons and views.”

Ben only nodded. From the tone of Hux’s voice, it was obvious that he didn’t want to talk about it. “Right. Great. But let’s not talk about your friend.This should be about you.” He gave him a tight smile and made himself a little bit more comfortable. “What happened after France?”

Hux blushed some under Ben’s gaze and adjusted the frills on his sleeves. “Ah, yes. After France. Well. As you may know, it wasn’t exactly a place where one would like to live at the end of the Eighteenth Century. So, I had all my things sent to Britain—to one of my friends, Nathaniel, who was also a vampire, and I decided to travel a little. I wanted to see the world everyone talked about. I spent some time in Italy—that was beautiful—and Spain.”

“So, you preferred the warm countries? Have you ever been to the States?”

“No, not America. No. And what is warm to me if I can only see the land and cities during the night? Well, I did loll in the sun as a cat. That’s true.”

“What were you doing while travelling?” Ben smiled a little. He could almost see the little ginger cat lazing around in the sunlight on a roof in Barcelona or Rome.

“Having fun, mostly. I had been reading, going to soirees. I even learned how to play violin. Oh and opera! I loved opera. Do you like opera, Benjamin?”

“N-no, no. It’s quite boring. And you don’t understand any of it.” Ben shook his head.

“Oh.” Hux’s previous smile faltered a little. “Well, never mind. We will find some other hobbies for us.”

“Excuse me?” Ben blinked, taken aback. “For _ us _ ?”

“Well, of course.” Hux smiled. “When you move in here.”

“Why would I—What?”   

Instead of answering, Hux just waved his hand as if Ben was talking nonsense and scratched his nose. “After that—not very long after that, at the beginning of the Nineteenth Century, I came here. Back to Britain.”

Ben, who had managed to overcome his initial shock at Hux’s evidently wanting him to live here in this house with him, said, “But you told me that you’ve lived in this house since the beginning of the Nineteenth Century.”

“Ah, did I?”

“Yes.” Ben frowned.

“Well, I bought this house when I was still in Barcelona. In other words, my friend bought it for me. It was a brand new house back then, freshly built. That was in 1805. I came back in the Twenties, I think—yes. Probably. I lived here for presumably ten or twenty years. It wasn’t easy. People were very cautious back then. And I was young, I mean… I looked like this, so when they saw a young gentleman like me, living in this house completely alone without a wife or children, they became suspicious. And that was when my old friend came back. We pretended to be married to each other just so people would leave us alone.”

“So, people back then didn’t know that you were a vampire?”

Hux shook his head. “No. When I moved to Londres three decades later, I think they started to suspect. I wasn’t living there, as such. I only made my visits there quite frequent. It had become quite the centre of entertainment.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Those times I hold very dear. Especially the Eighties.” Hux smiled and Ben could see a familiar haze forming in his eyes…

 

_ Armitage loved London, especially during the night. Not only because he was a vampire but also because at night the prudish society went to sleep and all the joy-seeking young people went out for a night on the town. _

_ Over the years, since he had come back from his travels, Armitage found a joy in hosting private and very pompous soirees. He bought a little salon—not exactly in the centre of the city but in a place that was very convenient for people who didn’t want to admit that they wanted to be seen going there. Attending his soirees was an exclusivity; people loved him and loved being with him. Nobody knew what he was for sure but there was gossip: young, handsome, wealthy, and eccentric. People were talking about his proclivities and tendencies – maybe the fact that it was mainly gentlemen of every age who went to his salon, or the fact that he was always drinking red wine and nothing else.  _

_ Then came a night that started like every other, but was far from ordinary. It was Friday and the high class was probably enjoying themselves at some theatre play premiere. Still, he wasn’t afraid that he would spend his night alone. Already he could hear the ruckus from downstairs: people laughing, drinking, singing and enjoying their lives. Oh, how Armitage envied them. _

_ He gave himself one more look into the mirror and smiled. His hair was combed slightly back, with a joyful wave falling across his forehead. He was dressed in white, only the vest peeking from under his suit was pink with soft yellow stripes. He looked like an angel, some would say. _

_ “Ah, darling, here you are!”  _

_ Armitage had been lounging on one of the sofas, drinking fresh blood from a wine glass and talking to some Jonathan or whatever his name was. He excused himself and looked over to his friend—she went by Anna back then—and gave her a smile. _

_ “Yes?” He got up from the sofa lazily and rearranged his cravat a little. _

_ “I wanted to introduce you to someone who would like to meet you,” Anna said. _

_ “Oh?” Armitage raised his eyebrow. “Who would like to meet me?” He smirked. “Where are you keeping him then?” _

_ “Bold of you to think that it’s a  _ him _.” _

_ “We both know that it is a man, love. Now, where is he? Is he a lunch or more of a dinner quality?” _

_ “Shush.” Anna smacked his shoulder a little and adjusted his lapels. “He’s a writer. A playwright. He said he’d seen you at some party or another. And that you—“   _

_ “Have the most fascinating eyes,” finished another voice. Armitage looked at the man who had approached them without their notice. “Your beauty is even more blinding from this close. No wonder all these boys and men want at least a bit of you for themselves.” _

_ Armitage blushed. “Perhaps you should turn around then, if you’re worried about your eyes.” _

_ “I think I’ll risk it.” The writer gave him a smile and Armitage’s dead heart fluttered. Whoever this man was, he was doing things to him. He was taller than Hux—which wasn’t very common—and he was broad and with brown wavy hair: exactly Hux’s type. Anna knew him very well after all these years; he would have to thank her later. _

_ “I see that it’s time for me to go.” Anna rolled her eyes and went to look for someone to drink from. _

_ “Since you’re here—”Armitage turned around and went back to where he was sitting before. “I believe that you know my name. Yet, my mysterious playwright, my dear friend didn’t mention yours.” _

_ “I’m Oscar.” _

 

“Holy shit, Hux, are you kidding me?” Ben jumped into Hux’s story with a yell.

“Why would I?” Hux blinked out of his haze.

“You fucking knew Oscar Wilde?” Ben couldn’t believe his ears, this was just unreal!

“You know him?”

“Of course, I know him! Everyone knows him!”

“Really? Oh.”

“Yes, oh.” Ben shook his head. “Were you two friends? Did you sleep with him?”

Hux gave him a scandalised look. “I beg your pardon; that is an absolutely inappropriate question!”

“He did.” Dopheld appeared out of nowhere.

“Dopheld!” Hux shrieked and looked at his servant, who shrugged and disappeared into a wall.

“I see.” Ben frowned a little.

“Benjamin, I—”

“No, that’s okay. Continue. And please skip that part where you slept with him. Nobody wants to read about that.” He said with probably a little bit more anger that was necessary.

 

_ A few months after meeting Oscar, it was safe to say that they had become close friends. They were meeting frequently, both in London and Arkanis. Sometimes it was just them talking about plays, books, and the boring people of London; other times it was Armitage sitting in a chair or standing by a wall and trying not to move while some painter was trying to capture his likeness. He was fairly popular in the artistic circles, either for his will to sponsor their vernissages or for him letting them paint him, sculpt him—touch him. _

_ “I heard quite a humorous story today.” _

_ “Oh, please do tell.” Armitage was sitting on his bed, taking off his shoes. _

_ “Imagine that people think you might actually be a vampire.” Oscar looked at him from an armchair, where he was reading a book. _

_ “What nonsense.” Armitage laughed and shook his head. “I hope you don’t believe them.” _

_ Oscar huffed a little and got up. “I wouldn’t if I didn’t know better, you mesmerizing creature. You bewitched me. Hypnotised me with your eyes and made an utter fool of me.” _

_ “A fool? I wouldn’t dare!” Armitage smiled mischievously and laughed again when Oscar pulled him from the bed into his arms. _

_ “Oh, you would, my dear. You would.” He kissed the top of his head. “You should consider yourself lucky.” _

_ “I am lucky; I have you for a friend.” _

_ Oscar laughed at that and let him go. Armitage took a few steps and turned to him, sticking out his tongue a little. _

_ “I have something for you, you angelic boy.” _

_ “I love gifts!” _

_ “I wrote a book, just for you.” Oscar sat on Armitage’s bed and watched him take off his jacket and vest. _

_ “What?” Armitage looked at him and nearly tripped over his legs, graceful as ever. _

_ “Yes. It’s about a very handsome young man.” _

_ “Is that handsome young man me?” _

_ “No. He’s a part of me, at some different age, perhaps.” _

_ “But you said—” _

_ “I know what I said. Be quiet for a moment, Armitage, dear.” _

_ Armitage pursed his lips and crossed his arms across his chest. “You have exactly ten seconds before I bite your head off, you oaf. Now talk, or else!” _

_ “Don’t be so fussy, Armitage. You’ll get wrinkles.” _

_ “No, I won’t. Did you forget?” _

_ “Then you’re just like the handsome young man from my book.” _

_ “He’s a vampire?” _

_ “No, but he doesn’t age.” _

_ “He doesn’t—” _

 

“Hold on a second. Now you’re just fucking with me. You can’t be serious about this.” Ben got up from his place and started pacing around the living room. “So, you want to tell me that Oscar fucking Wilde was in this room? Did he sit in this armchair, too?” He pointed at his former place and his eyes nearly rolled out of his head when Armitage nodded.

“Yes, but I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“You don’t see how— For fuck's sake, Hux!”

“You are so foul-mouthed today, Benjamin.”

“I have every right to be!” He snatched his mobile from the table and put it into his pocket.

“No, you don’t. Why are so angry all of a sudden? Did I say something?”

“What book was it?”

“I don’t…I don’t remember, something about some painting.” Hux waved his hand dismissively.

“Dorian Gray was  _ you _ ?”

“Ah yes, that’s the name. I knew it was something starting with a D!”

“Dopheld said you slept with him.” Ben stopped pacing and looked at him. “Please tell me you didn’t sleep with him in the same bed we snuggled together in. In the same bed where you wanted me to fuck you this morning.”

“I — ” Armitage gulped. “Well, I lived here. Of course, it was the same bed. I have only one bed here, Ben.”

“This is fucking unreal.”

“Stop with that word, love. I promise that I’ll buy a new bed when you move in here. I promise I will. Anything you want, anything. We can have two beds, or three, or — ”

“For fuck’s sake, shut up!” Ben roared. “You’re unbelievable. What was I thinking?” He shook his head. “I’ll send you the article by Monday.”

And with that, Ben left the house and never looked back.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me at [Tumblr](http://katiesghosts.tumblr.com) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/katiesghosts)


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